The Florida Trustee Implementation Group, has released its Draft Phase V.2 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental Assessment (Draft Phase V.2 Plan). The plan is consistent with the Trustees’ Programmatic Restoration Plan and proposes projects to compensate for a portion of the lost recreational use in Florida caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Trustees are seeking public comment on the draft plan and will hold a public meeting in Port St. Joe on November 16, 2017.
The Draft Phase V.2 Plan supplements the Final Phase V Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (Final Phase V Plan) that the Deepwater Horizon state and federal natural resource Trustees approved January 27, 2016. That plan included the first phase of the Florida Coastal Access Project.
The Florida Coastal Access Project would enhance public access to surrounding natural resources and increase recreational opportunities through the acquisition and/or enhancement of coastal land in the Florida Panhandle. There were provisions in the Final Phase V Plan that the Florida Coastal Access Project would proceed in phases, and that the selection process and criteria in the second phase would be the same as in the first phase.
The Draft Phase V.2 Plan considers a number of land acquisition and enhancement options and ultimately proposes the Salinas Park Addition Project, which includes new recreational amenities, as the preferred option. The project, located in Cape San Blas, would expand Salinas Park by 6.6 acres and has an estimated cost of $3.1 million.
Florida Trustee Implementation Group Public Meeting
| Date: | November 16, 2017 |
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| Location: |
Robert M. Moore Administration Building |
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| Time (EST): | Open House | 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. |
| Presentation and Public Comment | 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. |
The public meeting will begin with an interactive open house where the public can ask questions and learn details of the proposed second phase of the project. The open house will be followed by a formal presentation and opportunity for the public to provide comments on the draft plan.
The draft plan is available for public review and comment through December 08, 2017. After the public comment period ends, the Florida Trustee Implementation Group will review, consider, and address public comments before releasing a final plan and environmental assessment.
Comments can be submitted online or mailed to:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 49567
Atlanta, Georgia 30345